AS THE TWENTIETH CENTURY BEGAN, THE IMPORTANCE OF FORMAL ED...

EXERCISE 1

As the twentieth century began, the importance of formal education in the United States

increased. The frontier had mostly disappeared and by 1910 most Americans lived in towns and

cities. Industrialization and the bureaucratization of economic life combined with a new

emphasis upon credentials and expertise to make schooling increasingly important for

economic and social mobility. Increasingly, too, schools were viewed as the most

important means of integrating immigrants into American society.

The arrival of a great wave of southern and eastern European immigrants at the turn of the

century coincided with and contributed to an enormous expansion of formal schooling.

By 1920 schooling to age fourteen or beyond was compulsory in most states, and the school

year was greatly lengthened. Kindergartens, vacation schools, extracurricular activities, and

vocational education and counseling extended the influence of public schools over the lives of

students, many of whom in the larger industrial cities were the children of immigrants. Classes

for adult immigrants were sponsored by public schools, corporations, unions, churches,

settlement houses, and other agencies.

Reformers early in the twentieth century suggested that education programs should suit the

needs of specific populations. Immigrant women were once such population. Schools tried to

educate young women so they could occupy productive places in the urban industrial economy,

and one place many educators considered appropriate for women was the home.

Although looking after the house and family was familiar to immigrant women, American

education gave homemaking a new definition. In preindustrial economies, homemaking had

meant the production as well as the consumption of goods, and it commonly included income-

producing activities both inside and outside the home, in the highly industrialized early-

twentieth-century United States, however, overproduction rather than scarcity was becoming a

problem. Thus, the ideal American homemaker was viewed as a consumer rather than a

producer. Schools trained women to be consumer homemakers cooking, shopping, decorating,

and caring for children "efficiently" in their own homes, or if economic necessity demanded, as

employees in the homes of others. Subsequent reforms have made these notions seem quite

out-of-date.

Questions

Question 1: The paragraph preceding the passage probably discusses ...

A. the industrialization and the bureaucratization of economic life the United States in the

nineteen century.

B. the formal schooling in the United States in the nineteen century.

C. the urbanization in the United States in the nineteen century.

D. the most important means of integrating immigrants into American society in the nineteen

century.

Question 2: It can be inferred from paragraph 1 that one important factor in the increasing

importance of education in the United States was ...

A. the expanding economic problems of schools

B. the growing number of schools in frontier communities

C. an increase in the number of trained teachers

D. the increased urbanization of the entire country

Question 3: The word “means” in line 5 is closest in meaning to ...

A. qualifications B. method C. advantages D. probability

Question 4: The phrase “coincided with” in line 7 is closest in meaning to .

A. happened at the same time as B. ensured the success of

C. was influenced by D. began to grow rapidly

Question 5: According to the passage, one important change in United States education by

the 1920's was that .

A. the amount of time spent on formal education was limited

B. new regulations were imposed on nontraditional education

C. adults and children studied in the same classes

D. most places required children to attend school

Question 6: “Vacation schools and extracurricular activities” are mentioned in line 9 to

illustrate .

A. activities that competed to attract new immigrants to their programs.

B. alternatives to formal education provided by public schools

C. the importance of educational changes

D. the increased impact of public schools on students

Question 7: According to the passage, early-twentieth century education reformers believed

that .

A. special programs should be set up in frontier communities to modernize them

B. corporations and other organizations damaged educational progress

C. different groups needed different kinds of education

D. more women should be involved in education and industry

Question 8: The word "it" in line 19 refers to ...

A. education B. consumption C. production D. homemaking

Question 9: Women were trained to be consumer homemakers as a result of .

A. scarcity in the highly industrialized early-twentieth-century United States

B. economic necessity in the highly industrialized early-twentieth-century United States

C. income-producing activities in the highly industrialized early-twentieth-century United States

D. overproduction in the highly industrialized early-twentieth-century United States

Question 10: Which paragraph mentions the importance of abilities and experience in formal

schooling?

A. Paragraph 2 B. Paragraph 4 C. Paragraph 1 D. Paragraph 3